Jasmina Vignjević, Government Affairs Manager at Telenor Serbia

Mobile Phones Instead Of Counters

Both Telenor and NALED are celebrating 10 years of successful operation in Serbia. NALED was among the first to recognise the importance of e-government, and in cooperation with IBM experts it has produced a credible study that should serve as a basis for further development of e-government in Serbia

We see the establishment of the e-Government Alliance as an opportunity for businesses to use their know-how and inventiveness to help the government in its efforts to reform the public administration.

The Alliance can help digitalise the data and the procedures, and minimise paperwork, queuing and expenses for our citizens.

People today want services to be available to them at all times, wherever they are. It makes me happy that the Alliance recognises m-government, the optimisation of all e-services for mobile devices, as one of the priorities.

As many administrative services require payment of administrative fees, e-service needs to provide an electronic payment system to replace traditional paper proofs of payment, so that all services can be fully realised electronically.

Telenor is a mobile operator, our bank deals exclusively with electronic transactions, we operate in 13 countries and we can draw upon that experience, so I believe that we have the capacity to contribute to the e-Government Alliance and in cooperation with NALED help modernise the public administration.

NALED is the first organisation to truly succeed in consolidating and synchronising the work of the private and public sectors and to ensure that its main objective is comprehensive and commonly accepted: to create a business-friendly environment that will provide a better life for all Serbia

The Government is open to the idea of including the civil sector in its administrative work and unburdening the administration, which is the trend in the developed world. NALED is a positive example, having developed the e-permit software with help from donors and then handed it over to the state. This was a great help, and other organisations are certainly able to contribute to the common good in the same way.

The first three presidents of NALED’s Managing Board agree that NALED’s greatest successes were to become a partner of the Serbian Government in implementing reforms, to raise the awareness of the public and decision-makers about the importance of dialogue, and to harmonise the interests of different parts of society

"The issue of competitiveness has to be one of the priorities of any government agenda, especially this new one since it is crucial for the regional 'game'…because there is no successful economy without it, here or anywhere else", says our interviewee Goran Pitić, when we put it to him that he is "the staunchest advocate for higher compet¬itiveness of Serbian products and fair competition".

The innovative and capable city administration has applied 21st-century tools and has been able to fulfil its objectives with ease, preserving its long-established reputation as a commercial hub for this part of Europe

Most people will behave honestly if they think others will. But if they expect the law will not be enforced, they will accept criminal behaviour without complaint even if they are its victims, and no amount of policing will help

Both Telenor and NALED are celebrating 10 years of successful operation in Serbia. NALED was among the first to recognise the importance of e-government, and in cooperation with IBM experts it has produced a credible study that should serve as a basis for further development of e-government in Serbia

Over the years, NALED has grown into a leading institution in Serbia and the region. Its ability to unite local self-governments, SMEs, and civil society makes it one of the key forces behind Serbia’s reform achievements and makes NALED an important partner for U.S. Government-supported economic growth projects

The European Commission has recommended opening a further chapter – on bringing Serbian public procurement into line with EU standards, a crucial step in tackling corruption. Beyond that, Serbia is working on its negotiating position for a number of other chapters, so I am confident that we will see further movement in the next few months.

Indian companies are looking at privatization opportunities in Serbia including in agro-machinery and pharma. At the same time, NALED has done a lot in the last decade to improve the business environment, growing ties between business leaders of India and Serbia and contributing to the traditionally good relations between Belgrade and New Delhi

The main Israeli investors came following the democratic changes in 2000. Overall investment reached around €1 billion over the years and is mainly focused on the real estate sector which made us the top investor in this sector in Serbia